For those who know me they know that sports are an important part of my life. As long as I can remember I have played sports. Of all the sports I have played hockey has long been my favourite sport, the sport I am most passionate about. Therefore, when I found out that there was a Deaf hockey team that was set up in BC I was immediately intrigued. After some research I found that the BC Deaf hockey team – the BC Rockies – were playing against the Hockey Community team in a charity game. Hockey Community is a website that connects hockey players and runs leagues out of Vancouver and all over Canada. I reached out to the charity game organizers and got myself in the game. I had no idea what to expect, but as I laced up for the opposing team – Hockey Community – I couldn’t help but feel excited for a chance to combine two things that I cared about: hockey and the Deaf community. This game was held at the Langley Sportsplex on a Sunday afternoon. The game went well, I honestly cannot remember who won the game but I remember being asked to be the liaison between the Hockey Community team and the BC Rockies on occasion.
After the game finished I went up to one of the BC Rockies players and had a nice long chat with him about the Rockies history, who they play, how often, and who is on the team. I then found out that he lived very close to where I lived and we exchanged information. He then ended up joining my hockey team and I was able to create a very strong friendship with him.
A little ways down the road he set up a beer league hockey team comprised of almost entirely Deaf hockey players and I was asked to join the team. I ended up playing with this team for roughly 8 months. It gave me the chance to meet a lot of Deaf people in Vancouver who share very similar interests as I do and allowed me to learn about ASL and sports together. As an interpreter student it has given me the role as the person who people come to for sports interpreting questions, a role I have gladly accepted.
Playing on this team also guided me towards working with one of the players as a referee in the same league that we play in. I am extremely glad that I got the chance to be a part of this hockey team. It allowed me to make some strong relationships in the Deaf-sports community and ultimately led to me becoming really good friends with one of the players on the team – so much so that he will be attending my wedding in the fall of 2019.
During my third block of practicums I was located in Ottawa working for Sign Language Interpreters Associates Ottawa Inc (SLIAO). While I was working with this agency I was booked for an interpreting assignment for teachers, educational assistants, and early childhood educators. We received some prep for this assignment but upon arriving at the assignment I was told that the Deaf consumer uses more of a Contact Sign style of ASL. This meant that the consumer preferred English word structure, more fingerspelling, and more English mouthing than you would expect to see in ASL use. This was a new challenge for me. Throughout the program at Douglas College we have been practicing to use ASL in a manner that is truest to American Sign Language’s linguistic structure.
My first turn up interpreting did not go well. I was far too focused on trying to make my ASL structure fit English word order and I lost a lot of the meaning in the message. Luckily there were three interpreters present this day so I was able to observe the other two interpreters turn for roughly a half an hour before I was up again. I noticed some techniques that they used to attain the goal of an English structured message. One method, one which I was taught but had forgotten about, was the ability to paraphrase the message. On my first turn I was struggling to keep up with the speaker and therefore when I fell behind I felt like I had to omit a lot of information to get back to where I needed to be in regards to processing time. I thought that the shorter the processing time the more English my signing would be. This was not the case. Seeing the other interpreter work into ASL with English structure I noticed a lot more meaning based paraphrasing. This meant that the interpreter allowed herself time to create a whole message and then she only had to change the style/structure in which the message was produced.
When I had the opportunity to go up next I gave myself a lot more processing time in my work and was able to better understand the speaker. Once I knew I understood the speaker and his message I found it much easier to create a cohesive and comprehensible message in ASL with an English structure.
It was a real pivotal moment for me as I realized that even if we are working into a more English-based version of ASL we are still working into a different modality and using an entirely different language to do so. Just because we are working into a similarly structured language does not mean we can skip any steps in the interpreting process.
As an interpreter you are asked to make split-second decisions in scenarios where split-second decisions may not be the best approach. There are times when issues or scenarios arise that need time for discussion, deliberation, and a meaningful decision making process. Throughout my time in the Douglas College interpreting program we have been taught different ways of making decisions. For myself however, there is one decision making model that has become my main process for making choices and decisions while interpreting. Dean and Pollard’s (2013) decision making model, The Demand Control Schema (DC-S), has allowed me to setup a basis for how I make decisions throughout the interpreting process.
We have talked a lot about how we make decisions in the moment throughout the interpreting program at Douglas College. While I have stated that Dean and Pollard’s (2013) work on the DC-S model is my preferred method of decision making I will also say that their structure often does not come in to play at the moment a decision is required to be made. Rather, the DC-S has allowed me to critique and reflect on the decision I have made in a structured way and then learn from those decisions. Before I begin to explain my own decision making process, allow me to expand on some of the essential elements of Dean and Pollard’s (2013) DC-S decision making model.
One of the most important elements of the DC-S is to identify what the main demand is. In other words, what is the biggest issue at hand. It is important to recognize what this demand is in order to move on to the concurrent demands that stem from this main demand. For example, if there is a safety concern in an automotive classroom, in that a student for whom you are interpreting for has missed a crucial procedural step, then our main concern is the safety of the student and all those in proximity to the danger. Once you have this main demand identified you can move on to the concurrent demands, which fall into four broad categories: environmental, interpersonal, paralinguistic, and intrapersonal. An example of what this might look like can be seen in Table 1. Table 1 is an example situation which we applied the DC-S model in a previous Douglas College course (Palmer, 2018).
Once an interpreter has outlined all of these concurrent demands which fall under the primary, or “main” demand then they can move on to the decision options they may have. Dean and Pollard (2013) call these decisions “controls”. Controls are actions that an interpreter takes in response to the demand(s). Controls tend to rate on a scale of liberal to conservative decisions. The liberal or conservative nature of the decision tends to relate to the involvement of the interpreter. Conservative decisions/controls are typically less involved or intrusive. The interpreter may take the position of being “neutral” and may feel like it is not their place to be a part of the outcome of whatever it is that is happening. On the opposite end of the spectrum a liberal decision may be made by the interpreter. These liberal decisions are much more involved and can be intrusive in nature. The interpreter may make the decision to abandon their position as the interpreter and become directly involved in the outcome of the situation. The liberal/conservative scale is a spectrum and there is rarely ever a situation where there is only a black or white, liberal or conservative decision to be made. There is a variety and it is important to know where the decision you made lies on this spectrum. In Figure 1, a figure used in accordance with Palmer (2018), we can see some of the potential controls that an interpreter may take in the situation outlined in Table 1.
Figure 1: A liberal/conservative spectrum of controls
Another related topic to the decisions we make and the liberal or conservative nature of them is the relational autonomy that we have with those whom we are working. Relational autonomy is the relationship between individuals and their position in society (Witter-Merithew & Nicodemus, 2012). When we talk about relational autonomy in regards to interpreting we are steered towards our position of power as interpreters. We are the ones that hold the power to make these decision and we need to know how these decisions impact the autonomy of those involved. I have always looked at relational autonomy as a chart/graphic. Looking at Figure 3 we can see how our decisions to become less or more involved – make more liberal or conservative decisions – impact the relational autonomy of those we are working with. The more liberal choices we make the less autonomy the person we are working with has. The more conservative controls we implement the more autonomy we allow them to have. It is important to not only find a balance but to know when it is appropriate to make decisions that may lessen or increase someone’s autonomy.
Figure 2: The autonomy of a consumer vs the liberal to conservative controls used by the interpreter
While I have outlined the decision making models above I will refer to a previous statement I made in that I tend to not have any decision making models at front of mind when I am faced with making a quick decision. I have long found that these scenarios that require a decision making model rarely account for the time needed to run through all your options and possible outcomes. Rather, I use the decision making models to reflect on the decisions I made at that time. I think this is the most beneficial part of having a decision making model: the ability to deconstruct what happened and figure out exactly why we made the decisions we did.
In my experience with difficult and ethically challenging situations I have often made my choices in that exact moment without consciously thinking about the concurrent demands or any positive or negative effects my decisions may have on the individual(s)’ autonomy. An important part of an interpreter’s decision making process, and my own process as well, is their subconscious knowledge of demanding scenarios. Throughout my time at Douglas College and with my practicum experience I have had to make difficult decisions, as well as less difficult decisions, but decisions nevertheless. My ability to dissect these decisions and find the root of why I made the choices I made help to cement a decision making process within myself that I can carry from scenario to scenario. Therefore, I do use Dean and Pollard’s (2013) model of DC-S but as a way of examining and understanding the decision I made at the time and preparing myself for future challenges and decisions I will be required to make as a sign language interpreter.
As stated in the above paper I feel like my decision making model is more of a tool for deconstruction and reflection of the decisions I make. My philosophy is that if we can better understand the reasons why we made certain decisions (good or bad) then we can better learn from them going forward. If we examine the other options we had at the time then we will have a clearer vision of other controls, better or worse, that were available to us as sign language interpreters. One of the elements of my decision making model that is more “in the moment” is my approach to relational autonomy. As I learn more about what autonomy really means and start to understand how much I value it I can notice the impact it has on my decision making in the moment. Relational autonomy can be a real hindrance on a child, especially in social situations. Therefore, in situations where there is a potential for social learning I tend to make more conservative decisions with the social learning aspect as the main catalyst for that decision.
I predict that as the years go by and I am able to analyze more and more decisions that I make, or choose not to make, I will develop a faster, more efficient decision making model. That being said, I am bound to make mistakes and using the DC-S as an analysis model as well as a decision making model will always help me better understand the decision and controls I choose.
Myself and five other students attended a Deaf Youth Today (DYT) camp held at Tribune Bay Provincial Park on Hornby Island. We were brought to the camp as student interpreters who would be working with all hearing, Deaf, and hard of hearing attendees and staff at the camp. Our time at Hornby Island was an incredibly rich experience and the learning we took from the nearly two weeks we spent there were invaluable. That being said, the days spent at Tribune Bay were very long. Our days often started at 8:00am and we worked until roughly 9:30 pm. Within that time we occasionally had an hour and a half break. With such a hectic and demanding schedule we all, myself included, feared we would overwork ourselves. We made the choice early on to make sure we take time to do something other than interpreting. This was easier said than done as our “free” time was limited to say the least. The only real time we had off was after the campers had gone to bed – typically around 10:30/11:00 pm.
Tribune Bay Provincial Park is located on Hornby Island. The park itself is right off the water and offers stunning views of the horizon during the day and gorgeous starry nights when the sun goes down. We often took advantage of these starry nights. One night, in particular, towards the end of the camp, a group of 4 students walked along the beach and enjoyed the beautiful star lit night sky. We had also learned that day about bioluminescence, a phenomenon where the chemicals in the algae are “charged” by the sun during the day and light up with a bright neon green when disrupted at night (i.e. when you swim in the water). We took the opportunity to swim with the bioluminescence underneath a beautiful night sky. It was a late night but it was also an incredible way to relax and take our mind off of interpreting. Lying in the water looking up at the stars relaxed my mind and my body and of all the nights I slept at Tribune Bay, that night I slept the most sound. It was an incredible experience and all the time we “took off” at camp to go on walks and adventures out in nature had a positive impact on my self care and helped me work through the long stressful days. Since my time spent at the camp I have been actively trying to include nature, the outdoors, and relaxing walks into my self-care routine.
The health benefits of nature and the outdoors are incredible.
Throughout my placement in a K-12 setting it became very clear that high school has changed a lot since I was in grade 8. Before starting at my K-12 placement I was sent information regarding prep materials and subjects being taught. To my surprise, almost all of the prep materials were sent through shared cloud-based technologies such as Google Drive and Hapara. Being someone who is comfortable using Google Drive and other cloud-based sharing technologies I was relieved. My mentor had all the teachers “share” their lesson plans and assignments with me and I was able to look at the subject matter being taught over the month and a half that I would be at that school. Having all the prep materials in one place made it very easy for me to not only prepare for lessons but to also bring all my prep material with me in the form of a tablet/computer.
For example, if my mentor and I were to ask a teacher what the plan is for class tomorrow they can tell us that they are teaching fractions in tomorrow’s math class and the information can be found under lesson 5 in Hapara. Because I have the access to all their lessons I can look at the material being taught and familiarize myself with it. The shared element of the material also means that I am/was able to ask questions via email and/or comment sections with the teachers and my mentor alike.
Due to the fact that cloud-based systems are quickly becoming more common in education and workplace settings, I am pleased with my level of understanding and abilities to work in these systems and recognize the importance of continuing to further my familiarity with said systems and programs. Technology is an essential part of communication and my ability to access prep material through technology furthers my, and other interpreter’s, opportunities to receive prep and prepare for assignments.
During my time in Ottawa it became very obvious very quickly that there is a lot more French-English bilingual interaction than I am used to. Going through the Douglas College program, the only spoken language we were exposed to was English. We have been trained to work from ASL-English. Being in Vancouver, BC we are one of the farthest cities in Canada from Quebec. Therefore, there is limited, if any, French being used in Vancouver. It was a harsh realization when I moved back to Ottawa, essentially the closest city to Quebec, just how much French would be involved in spoken language communication.
My last two practicum blocks were in my home town of Ottawa, ON. I hadn’t spent an extended period of time in Ottawa in quite a while so I was glad to be back. I had forgotten just how cold it got but I had also forgotten how beautiful the cold makes the landscape. This is a shot of the Rideau Canal and many families and friends having a skate on the frozen waterway.
I have not lived in Ottawa since 2015, while it is my hometown I did forget the challenges people who do not speak French face. If you do not speak French you are absolutely able to communicate with almost anybody in the city and socially it does not hold you back, professionally however, French is almost a must. Due to the fact that Ottawa is very much a government city, a lot of the interpreting work for ASL is in relation to the government. Therefore, French is very much present. This meant that when I was in a government environment there was a lot of spoken French present as well as English. While my French is sub-par to say the least I do have a some understanding of the language. The other aspect of Ottawa being so close to Quebec and so immersed in the French language, is that a lot of the spoken English is spoken by individuals whose first language is actually French, so the Quebec native English accent can be very strong. Again, this is something I became very used to living in Ottawa but due to the fact that I have been out of the city for several years I forgot how challenging it can be.
Communicating with people who speak English but with a Quebec French accent is difficult, especially when we are interpreting. Certain words and phrases sound very different in English when spoken by a Quebec native French speaker. Phrases such as “close the lights” meaning to turn off the lights is a common phrase that occasionally throws people off. “Close the lights” being an almost word for word translation of the French phrase “ferme les lumières”. Also consonant sounds in English are not always what we would expect coming from a Quebec native French speaker. For example, the “th” sound we have in words like “theatre” or “both” often have a “t” or “d” sound to them. This means that “theatre” may sound more the “tee-atre” or “both” may sound like “boat”, which can be very confusing and lead to misunderstandings.
The French-English bilingualism in Ottawa is challenging but having spent nearly two and a half months in Ottawa I am starting to refresh my memory and have a much better grasp on the Quebec native French speaker’s accent in English and hope to continue to improve on my comprehension and communication skills going forward.
I have been incredibly lucky while living in BC and while attending Douglas College to have met some pretty amazing and interesting people. One of the most interesting things I got to do was take up the sport of Pickleball. Without going into too much detail, Pickleball is a miniature version of tennis. My partner, the Audiologist, and I met a Deaf man and a female interpreter while living in Coquitlam. On Wednesday nights we would drive over to the local community centre and play Pickleball for a few hours. The social interactions between the four of us was very fun and interesting to say the least. My partner knows a little bit of ASL so she had a chance to practice some of her conversational ASL. I would switch back and forth between ASL and English when I was talking to either my partner or the interpreter, and would occasionally try and speak English to the Deaf man by accident. It took some time to get into the rhythm of things. I tried my best not to intervene when my partner or any other hearing person at the gym who knew little to no ASL would try and communicate with the Deaf individual. It was always one of those reminders that Deaf people live their lives every single day being Deaf and do not have an ASL/English interpreter shadowing them all day. Therefore, more often than not, in social situations I let the situation play out the way it would if I weren’t there. If my partner was playing the game wrong or if she didn’t understand a rule it was a good lesson for her to communicate with her limited ASL and her gestural skills to figure out what the rule actually meant or what the proper technique for hitting the ball is.
I think it is really important for interpreters to sometimes stand back and let mistakes happen. I sometimes forget how uninitiated some hearing people are and how valuable these social interactions are. When a person is “forced” to communicate in a manner in which they are not entirely used to they not only gain a little bit of that skill but are also called into the Deaf person’s culture. I think this is an invaluable experience for people to go through and I try to keep that idea front of mind when I am out with a Deaf person at a Pickleball court, a coffee shop, a hockey game, or a bar. While I don’t mind interpreting a coffee order or a question about where to find the washroom, I also respect the individual’s decision to communicate with someone who uses an entirely different language and brings forth a new culture. Socially challenging situations that pull us into other people’s cultures are a valuable experience and allow people to grow as a whole, so why not let them happen.
There are always challenges to interpreting for a recorded sample like the one above. That being said it has become somewhat of a norm for us here at Douglas College. The issue with a pre-recorded sample is the lack of interaction management that we have. We can ask for clarification of a word, topic, or message but unfortunately all the clarification we will get is what we just saw. I am aware of the different options and controls that we have as interpreters out in the field and how they may be more effective than the tools we have in this situation. Knowing what controls to use in different scenarios is a skill in and of itself and it is a skill that will continually be improving and changing. I, for one, have become a lot more comfortable asking for clarification or pausing an individual when I need time to catch up or expand on a concept. Doing so has helped my interpretations become a lot more clear as I am ensuring that I fully understand the source message before attempting to interpret into the target language.
In regards to this specific interpretation, please see the PDF below of my analysis/critique of my work. Each time stamped comment will be preceded by TAP or by ANALYSIS. TAP being an acronym for “Thinking Aloud Process” in where I will state what was going on in my brain/process at that exact moment. Analysis really speaks for itself, it will be a critical/theoretical look at some of the successes and miscues in the interpretation above.
Chris Chiarelli - An INTR Journey 
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